Ending The Dark Reign
by gunman
Summary: The heroes of the Marvelverse get a hand in taking down Norman Osborn from Eva pilot Shinji Ikari, when he is merged with the body of deceased hero Captain America. Lemon.
1. The New Hero

_**ENDING THE DARK REIGN**_  
by Gunman

Disclaimer: I do not own Eva, The Avengers or the Marvel Universe

Summary: The heroes of the Marvel Universe get a hand in dealing with the evil Norman Osborn and his twisted dynasty from Shinji Ikari, who takes over the body of Captain America.

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**CHAPTER 1: THE NEW HERO**

Carol Danvers continued to fly towards the Rocky Mountains, tears flying from her black-masked eyes at how bad things had gotten.

Norman Osborn, the sadistic villain known as The Green Goblin, was running both SHIELD and the Avengers after Tony Stark had taken the blame for the Skrull Invasion of Earth, and Osborn had manipulated events in order to take the kill shot of the Skrull queen, which ended the invasion.

As a result, the president had fired Stark and made Osborn the new Director of SHIELD as well as the Avengers team. This was because Stark used government funds to rebuild Avengers Tower and finance the Avengers. And since Stark was removed from directorship, and Osborn was put in charge, the former villain known as the Green Goblin, was now in charge of the Avengers team.

Ares and Sentry were the first to sign up with him, both for their own reasons: Ares because he and Osborn had a lot in common and Sentry because Osborn was helping him with his mental problems.

But Osborn didn't stop there. After Carol had stormed out of the Avengers Tower, Osborn started going around and recruiting a new team of 'heroes' to become his new Avengers. He made the unbalanced Venom the new Spider Man, after giving him special medication to make him more 'presentable'; embittered mutant killer Daken Akihiro, who was apparently Wolverine's son, was made the new Wolverine; psychotic assassin Bullseye was the new Hawkeye; Kree warrior Noh-Varr who came from another dimension and had declared war on Earth, and subsequently ended up to help save it, as the new Captain Marvel; and as a personal insult he had made the shapely and manipulative Moonstone the new Ms Marvel, in Carol's old red, black and yellow-star outfit.

And to make things even worse, he had used The Ghost, a quirky and gangly villain with the ability to invade any room, bypass any alarm, override any code, and such, to invade Tony Stark's armory in order to create a new hero identity to lead his new team.

And as a result of all this.... Carol Danvers was now labeled a wanted criminal.

_Damn You Tony! Damn You Osborn! DAMN IT DAMN IT DAMN IT!_ she mentally screamed as she flew straight through a mountain.

The tall, shapely and athletic blond-haired, blue-eyed woman, who was dressed in a black swimsuit-like outfit, with long black gloves and boots with a yellow lightning bolt on her chest and red sash around her waist, suffered no damage to her person as she flew out the other side of the mountain.

But her tear-stained eyes, once filled with life and joy, radiated only sadness and outrage.

This made her an easy target for a pink bolt of lightning that brought her to the ground.

She crash landed hard into the ground as a mysterious woman with long reddish/pink hair dressed in a cleavage-baring blue/green dress walked up to her.

"Ouch!" Carol groaned.

"I'm sure that had to hurt." the woman said.

"Yeah, it did. Thank you. I needed a punching bag, and it looks like you just volunteered!" she hissed and rose up to face the woman.

"I didn't come here to fight, Carol Danvers. I came here... to recruit you!"

"Excuse me?"

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"YOU'RE OUT OF YOUR MOTHER-#$%^*& MIND!!!" Carol screamed, two hours later after listening to Morgana Le Lay and her proposal as well as discovering the new Avengers roster Osborn had assembled.

"I assure you... I am not." Morgana said calmly.

"No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! Ab-So-Lutely Not! You're Crazy!"

"There is no other way."

"Look, I'm all for taking down Osborn and his psycho-Avengers, but your plan has at least a dozen holes in it, and you'll be purposely killing hundreds, maybe thousands, of innocent people!"

"A necessary sacrifice." she explained. "You know the man you are dealing with, how cunning and ruthless he is. A lesser ploy would make him suspicious, which would not be advisable, given the goals we seek to obtain."

Carol grimaced at her situation, like she was making a deal with the Devil 'herself'.

"As pissed off as I am, if you truly knew me, you wouldn't ask me to do this." she said to Morgana.

"I ask because you are a woman scorned. And a powerful one. You are a warrior and a leader. You seek the demise of Osborn and his new regime. To do this, you must choose the lesser of two evils."

_I'm not sure which one is worse though._ She thought. "But what you want, I mean... your plan, it's... it goes against everything I believe, as a soldier, and as an Avenger!"

"I do not care what you believe. You wish to destroy a man, as do I."

"Victor Von Doom." Carol stated.

"Indeed." Morgana nodded.

"If what you're telling me is true about Osborn's new associates and all, it's little wonder you want my help in this."

"Indeed. As powerful as I am, I am not so foolish to try and take on ALL of these new allies that Doom has recently made. I would not be able to handle the repercussions alone."

"But couldn't you just go back to when Doom had no such allies?"

"Unfortunately, time does not flow as we would often like."

"But the Avengers and the Fantastic Four have traveled into the past dozens of times. Can't you do the same?"

"I could, but to do so to a point that would be most beneficial would require more magic than I am prepared to use. Coming to _this_ time was far easier."

Accepting that for now, Carol asked, "So... to get this plan of yours started..."

"We must recruit a powerful and unique individual who will defeat Osborn from within."

"Within?" Carol asked. "You.... want to put a spy into Osborn's ranks?"

"Yes. He has forged a new identity using the symbols of your heroes. The Soldier and The Knight!"

"Captain America and Iron Man." Carol stated.

"This must be replaced if they are to fall as we wish them to."

"And just who do you have in mind for this? I'm kinda on the out with Osborn."

Morgana smiled as she wove her magic spell, creating a shroud of mist that formed a kind of screen from which Carol saw Morgana's choice. She gasped when she did.

"No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! Again, you can't be serious!" Carol shouted.

"He is the proper choice."

"He's not... powerful enough for this!" Carol shouted.

"He will be." Morgana said.

"He's A Freaking Child!"

"But he will not be, once I am finished."

She stared at the sorceress as if she were a child helpless to do anything.

"If you're wrong about this..."

"Pray that I am not." she said as she cast her spell.

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The young Eva pilot known as Shinji Ikari blinked his eyes and looked around the strange room, seeing the usual sight he expected to see when he woke up.

"Unfamiliar ceiling." he said as he looked up and felt none of the usual pain and soreness that usually followed his Angel battle.

"Ohhh.... where am I?" Shinji groaned as he sat up and looked around. "What happened? Where did the... where's the Angel? What happened to Eva? What.... happened to my body?" he gasped as he realized he was no longer in his original 14-year old Japanese body. Instead, he was inside the body of an athletic, blond-haired man of about 30-to-35. At least that was what he figured from the reflection in the shiny metal plate that was next to the bed he was on.

He stared at his outfit, which was red, white and mostly blue.

The upper torso was blue, with a white five-pointed star in the center of the chest, and on his back, surrounded by a black border. There were thick vertical alternating red and white stripes around the stomach area that went all the way around. A black belt on his waist had several small compartments for anything he might need to carry. The gloves were red, stopping almost at his elbows. From there the arms of the costume were white, stretching to the edge of the shoulders which were blue. The boots were red as well and came nearly to his knees, the pants themselves were all blue.

The costume also included a blue cowl that was off his head when he had awoken. On the forehead was a large white 'A'.

Getting off the table he stared at the room he was in, confused and rather shocked at where he was. The room itself was simple, equipt with only a medical examination table, a few charts on the wall, and a smaller table with empty syringes on them. The room itself was a dull grayish/green color.

Seeing there was only one door to his room, he found it was unlocked and went through it to find himself in a long series of hallways leading in a dozen different directions.

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"WHAT DO YOU MEAN CAPTAIN AMERICA'S BODY IS MISSING???!!!" Norman Osborn shouted to his subordinates.

"It's just... missing, sir." the unfortunate news-bearing man said.

"Find the intruders and get that body back!" he shouted.

"Intruders?"

"Yes, you idiot! Someone obviously stole Captain America's body! It didn't just get up and walk away on its own!"

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Elsewhere in Avengers Tower, (Manhattan, New York), the revived super soldier known as Captain America continued walking around the large complex, seeing no one who could offer him aid of any kind.

_Strange_. Shinji thought. _You would think there would be someone around a complex this size. Then again.... NERV was huge, but there weren't a lot of people. _

He had little way of knowing that the Tower was in a change-of-management/transition period.

He continued walking through the long, dark corridors of the building, looking for anyone who could help him. His search ended when he bumped into an amazingly sexy blond-haired woman in a skintight red and black costume with an eight-pointed sun star on her well-endowed chest. She had a black mask over her eyes, black gloves that went from her hands to her elbows, black boots with red trim that came up almost to her knees. Her long, shapely legs were exposed, as a small red scarf draped behind her like a cape.

"What the... Captain America?" she gasped as she saw him.

"Do you know me?" Shinji asked.

The answer shook her for a second. "Well... yes. I mean... everyone knows you."

"They do?" he asked.

She arched and eyebrow and stared at him strangely. _He doesn't remember who he is?_ She thought. "What's your name? Your real name."

"Shinji Ikari." he said.

Her eyes were stark-wide as he said that.

_Shinji Ikari? But his name is Steve Rogers. How could he forget that?_ She wondered. "I thought you were dead." she said.

Shinji looked at his hands, clenching his hands open and close as he just tried to process what the woman was telling him.

"Dead? But... I'm not dead." he said. "At least I don't think I am."

"And you're obviously not the same person you were before." she said, looking him over with lustful eyes, noticing the roots of his hair were starting to turn brown instead of staying blond.

"Uh... I'm sorry I didn't ask this before... but... who are you?" Shinji asked.

"Dr Karla Sofen. But you can call me Ms Marvel." she said with a smile, taking Shinji's hand and leading him down the hallway. "And there is a lot to talk about."

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Shinji sighed as he sat back on the bed in Karla's room, actually her personal penthouse apartment in the Avengers Tower, trying to digest what he had been told over the last three hours. Namely the Skrull Invasion, the 50 States Initiative, The Super Hero Registration Act, the Civil War, and most of the chaos that had occurred since the original Captain America had created a new Avengers team.

Karla herself had been taking notes as to what Shinji had told her about his life as an Eva pilot.

Needless to say, both of them were more than a little shocked and confused.

_He's a fourteen year old Japanese robot pilot who somehow got teleported to this world and merged with the corpse of Captain America. As a result... he's changing hair color._ She thought as she went over her notes, trying to figure out the true implications of this. _Yeah right! _She mentally scoffed. _But it doesn't explain how all this happened, or why. _She wondered as the 'new' super-soldier continued to sit on the bed, reading the magazine articles and newspapers of 'his' death. _Then again... something like this isn't exactly abnormal. In our world. It might even be advantageous. __Very__ advantageous. _She thought as she got up from her desk and walked over to the bed.

Being a talented manipulator, even before earning her degree in psychology, Karla discovered early on that her feminine wiles were the perfect weapon in order to get men to do what she wanted. And as Shinji was a mentally unstable and emotionally inverted teenager, Karla figured she could wrap him around her finger, with a little... incentive.

Shinji gasped as Karla phased out of her Ms Marvel costume and stood stark naked before the super soldier. Her incredibly well-endowed body, from her full, buxom chest, her impossibly thin waist, and her long shapely legs, captivated Shinji. She had a body that could put Misato to shame.

Seeing his shocked and captivated gaze, she also noticed something else in his eyes.

_Hmm... he's definitely attracted, but it's not simple lust. It's almost impossible for me to discern._ Karla thought as she moved in and kissed Shinji softly on the lips.

Shinji was caught off guard by the kiss, but slowly returned it as Karla used her powers to phase his costume off of his body. However, he was too distracted to notice.

"Dr Sofen... I..." Shinji managed to say.

"Please, Shinji, call me Karla." she cooed softly, adding a raspy hiss to her tone as she ran her hands up and down his athletic chest.

"But... Karla-san... you don't know me well enough for this." he said, barely able to look away from her. "Why would you want this from me?"

She caressed his cheek softly with her hand. "I'm a trained psychologist, Shinji. A student of human nature. Your every action, expression and spoken word, tells me all I need to know about you." she smiled. "And we did just spend the last three hours trading histories."

"Oh. Right." he said with a mild blush.

"But to answer your question," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling her shapely body into his lap. "I want this from you... because I know you'll be good to me. And it's been _so_ _long_ since I've known the touch of a good man."

Shinji just stared at the woman, her desperate and needful pleas undoing his hesitation. His arms wrapping around her shapely physique in order to hold her, but also to caress her skin. He felt strength in her form, but marveled at how soft and silky her skin felt underneath his fingers.

Karla pressed her lips against Shinji's as they fell back onto the bed, the woman lying on top him like a blanket, her arms still around his neck. Shinji's firm hands gently caressed her smooth skin from her back down to her shapely buttocks.

_Mmmm! I was right! He's so gentle!_ Karla thought as Shinji continued to caress her.

Karla pulled back and stared into Shinji's eyes, not caring that his hair color was growing darker by the minute. His eyes were a light bluish color, but they were also filled with an element she had never seen before in any man she had slept with.

It was wonder, kindness, and innocence. A shy innocence which stemmed from lack of confidence and feelings of worthlessness.

_He's inexperienced, timid and shy, but at least he's not a sex-crazed horn-dog like most teenagers his age are_. She thought with a smile, realizing that even if this turned out to be a one-night stand, he would at least go out of his way to make it good for her.

Shinji leaned in and kissed her neck, causing her to gasp and moan as her body started to come alive like she hadn't been touched in years. And technically, she hadn't.

Shinji rolled her over onto her back and stared into her eyes.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Dr Sofen?" Shinji asked softly as he held her close to himself.

She smiled, rubbing her leg against the side of his body, gently caressing his face. "Call me Karla, Shinji-kun." she said, using the more personal Japanese honorific. "And yes I want this. Please... make love to me." she said in a soft, raspy voice that aroused the now brown-haired super soldier.

Shinji leaned in and pressed his lips against the sexy blond's, holding her tightly against his body as he adjusted himself to move in between her legs. Her arousal had made her wet enough as his gifted member slid into her body, causing her to gasp in shock at both the size and accuracy.

"AAAH!!!" she gasped aloud as his member stabbed at her G-spot.

"Are you alright?" Shinji gasped, seeing the panting woman beneath him.

"Yes! You're just... so big!" she cooed softly as she kissed his lower lip with her mouth. "Don't stop!"

Her confidence behind him, as well as a strange inner-confidence he'd never known, Shinji was lost in the feeling as he slowly set up a rhythm, pulling in and out of the shapely young woman, who moaned with each slow and forceful thrust.

"Faster... go faster... Shinji!" Karla gasped as the young super soldier complied.

She felt him slip between her lips, and a feeling of ecstasy came over her.

"Oh god.... it's so good! You're... really good at this, Shinji! It's... it's almost too much for me to handle!" she whispered as he pumped into her shapely body. "Shinji…keep… keep moving inside me…I need more!" Her voice was like a command, and he eagerly carried it out. His hands rested on the small of her back to steady her, his body pumping into her's over and over and over again.

With one fluid motion, Shinji lifted the shapely blond off her back and into the air, her legs wrapping around his waist as she grabbed his shoulders for leverage, and used her arms to push herself up and down on his massive cock. His hands gripped her thin but strong waist and helped move her body up and down as he balanced himself on his knees upon the bed. He filled her deep and wide, everything she could have hoped for as she rode him like a wild horse. Her nails dug into his shoulders as her body writhed and flexed in an almost sensuous dance, her hair flying wildly while her breasts bounced up and down with each thrust. She lunged forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him hotly and pulling him back down onto the bed.

"Harder, Shinji! Harder!" she gasped. "I can handle it, trust me!"

Complying with her request, Shinji laid her back on the bed, spread her thighs apart and slammed into her as deep as he could. Her moans of satisfaction told him he was doing it right as he slammed his hard cock again and again into Karla's tight, perfect body.

"Karla!" he gasped as she clenched around him. She smirked up at him and released her muscles, then squeezed him again, and Shinji cried her name a second time. "KARLA!"

"You're So Deep Inside Me!" Karla moaned.

Shinji shut his eyes and continued his pumping. He felt two smooth hands on both sides of his cheeks.

"Look at me, Shinji." Karla commanded. Shinji opened his eyes and looked at her as she pulled him into another passionate kiss, her tongue fiercely invading his mouth as she held him tightly.

His hands flowed across her body in pure wanting as their mouths parted for air. Shinji touched her everywhere that he could reach, running his hands up and down her thighs and stroking and kneading her cream-colored breasts. She moaned as her body was firmly caressed by the strong hands of the super soldier. Normally she would have felt uncomfortable about something like this, only there was something trusting about Shinji.

"Yes Shinji…do it…make me yours!" Karla cried out in pure joy as she pulled his mouth to hers and frenched him deeply, grinding against his mouth as she felt his thrusts increase in intensity. Within seconds she felt the powerful waves of her orgasm smash into her. Her mind reeled, and her universe narrowed to just her and Shinji, and their lovemaking. With a mighty roar, Shinji Ikari exploded inside Karla Sofen, both of them letting out a fierce scream of sweet release.

Shinji collapsed into her arms, sandwiching the blond woman between himself and the bed. Karla smiled as she gently caressed his soft brown hair, his face nestled between her ample D-Cup breasts, as a small wave of guilt built up inside her at the manipulations she had put this strong and naive young man through.

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It was morning as Karla stared at the sleeping man next to her.

_What's wrong with me?_ She wondered, propping herself up on her elbow to stare at him. _I've always wanted to bed Captain America... and it wasn't like it wasn't good... it really was. But then... why do I feel so guilty? God, don't be an idiot Karla! You know perfectly well why you're upset about this. It's all that time you spent as a Thunderbolt pretending to be a hero. The time you spent with Hawkeye. You... you were in love with him. __Were__ in love. But now... he's moved on, and you... you're alone._ She thought as she stared at Shinji's sleeping form. _Hmm. Maybe not. _

A hard rapping suddenly woke Shinji from his comfortable slumber.

"Woman! Are you awake yet?" the booming voice of Ares, god of war, shouted.

"Oh, crap! It's Ares!" she gasped.

"Who?" Shinji asked.

"The God of War. The one who... kinda likes me."

Shinji looked at Karla with some confusion and even hurt.

"Is he your boyfriend?" he asked.

"He'd like to think so. He's not really my type. All warrior, not much of a lover."

"You know this from experience?"

"He just seems the type to prefer rough caveman-sex instead of actual love-making." she explained.

Ares forces himself into the room, and gasps when he sees a naked Ms Marvel covering herself with the bed sheets and an athletic young man with brown hair he did not recognize.

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Two halls over and one floor down, a trio of costumed psycho's known publically as Hawkeye, Wolverine and Spider Man were talking.

The first was a purple and blue-costumed archer by the name of Hawkeye, who was once known as the master marksman assassin Bullseye. The second was a brown and yellow-costumed mutant brawler by the name of Wolverine, real name Daken Akihiro, who claimed to be Wolverine's son. The third was a black-costumed adventurer named Spider Man, real name: Mac Gargan, formerly costumed supervillain called the Scorpion who had the Venom symbiote bonded to his body.

"You honestly think Captain America could do that?" Hawkeye asked.

"Hey, I've seen the guy take on The Hulk." Venom said.

"Sure! With the other Avengers behind him, given the fact that the Hulk's a mindless beast." Hawkeye said.

"No way. There isn't anyone around here who'd be crazy enough to..." Venom started to say.

CRASH!!

The trio of psycho's just stared as Ares, god of war, smashed through the stone and steel wall of the Avengers Tower, pushing an athletic and apparently naked man through it and into the next wall. Their speechlessness continued as a sexy blond-haired woman carrying a pair of uniforms flew after them, herself naked as well.

"...take on Ares?" Venom finished.

"Okay. What was that?" Hawkeye asked.

"A fight I don't intend to miss." Wolverine said, rushing ahead of his teammates.

The trio rushed after the battling pair and arrived to see an athletic young man get slammed into a large table, breaking it as Ares was upon him. The man threw his foot back and kicked Ares right in the eye, causing him to reel back as he jumped onto his feet from his back. Ares grabbed his axe and brought it down on the brown-haired man, who easily dodged it, leaping over his head, grabbing the straps of his costume and flipping around to hurl the large muscular man across the room.

"Wow." Spider Man gasped.

"Nice." Hawkeye stated.

"Really." Wolverine said.

Ares got back up and attacked as Norman Osborn, Victoria Hand, Sentry, and Captain Marvel arrived.

"What's going on here?" Osborn asked as the god of war attacked again, sword in hand.

"Honestly? I'd say Ares is tusslen with Ms Marvel's new pillow mate." Hawkeye said as the brown haired super soldier dodged Ares' sword and lashed out to punch him in the face.

"Really!" Victoria gasped as Ares shrugged off the punch easily.

"Well, whoever he is... I want him!" Osborn said as the young man leaped up and threw a straight kick to Ares' neck.

"You do?" Victoria asked, obviously confused as Ares lightly coughed at the impact to his Adams apple.

"Look at him, Miss Hand. He's taking on the God of War himself! The way he moves, his reflexes, his agility, his sheer nerve!" he said as the man dodge Ares' axe and leaped forward to punch the god hard in the face, who was not affected and tried to punch him, only to have him dodge the god of war, and retaliate with another punch to Ares' face. "It's like....like..."

"Like Captain America reborn." Ms Marvel said as Ares finally grabbed the young man and closed his fist around his neck, right before he wrapped his legs around his arm and snaked his foot out to jam his heel into Ares' eye.

Victoria Hand just stared at the naked man as he was released from the god of war's clutches, landed on the ground and quickly grabbed Ares' foot in order to flip him backwards into the wall.

Ms Marvel saw her looking and leaned over to her.

"Look all you want. He's mine!" she whispered to the red-highlighted, raven-haired woman as the god of war got back up and attacked again, the young man dodging Ares' punches as he leaped up to throw a fierce kick to the god's chin.

Ares lunged at the young man and brought his axe swinging wildly, slashing the man across the chest and drawing blood for the first time. However, as Ares swung again and missed, he demolished one of the support beams for the room and building.

"Robert! Noh-Varr! Stop Ares before he brings the building down!" Osborn shouted to Sentry and Captain Marvel. "Doctor! Put a collar on your boyfriend!" he shouted to Ms Marvel. "And some clothes as well." he added.

The heroes leapt into action and subdued their targets. Though more effort was needed to contain Ares.

"So... I imagine someone has some explaining to do." Osborn said to the group.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH  
(Avengers Tower Laboratory)

"What is the analysis, doctor?" Osborn asked the scientist as the brown haired super-soldier lay on the examination table.

"His DNA is almost identical to that of Captain America." the doctor said, handing Osborn the report.

"Almost? How dissimilar are we talking?" Osborn asked as he looked at the report.

"His basic cellular make-up is the same as that of Captain America, which are confirmed by the files that SHIELD had on him. However, the sequence appears to be spliced with that of... well... someone else. A Japanese person I'd say."

_Really_! Ms Marvel mentally snapped. _Like the name wasn't obvious?_

"Like he's Captain America's son!" Osborn grinned.

"I suppose that would be the best way to explain it." the doctor said.

"But how did this happen?" Osborn asked.

"According to Shinji, he was teleported here from another universe." Ms Marvel said "It's possible that when he merged with Captain America's corpse, his life force regenerated the body and altered his basic DNA. Which would explain why his hair is brown instead of blond."

"And this Shinji Ikari was Japanese. How old, did you say?" Osborn asked.

"14 years old." Ms Marvel replied.

Osborn looked at the most recent picture they had of Captain America and looked over at the new super soldier who was sitting on the examination table. The differences were obvious, as the former robot pilot looked like a brown-haired, dark blue-eyed Steve Rogers with a slight Asian-influence.

"He _could_ pass for Captain America's son." Osborn said with an amused grin.

"Sounds rather farfetched to me." Victoria said.

"We're kinda used to it." Ms Marvel stated.

Osborn smiled as he read the doctor's final report.

"What is your impression of him, Ares?" Osborn asked the god of war. "He held his own quite well against you."

Ares rubbed his chin as if in thought. "Indeed he did. Though young he fought like a true warrior. And I respect a man who does not back down from a fight against a god. Especially the god of war. He would be a strong ally."

"And what if he were your leader?" Osborn asked.

"What are you thinking Osborn?" Ms Marvel asked.

"I want him to be..... The Iron Patriot!" Osborn said to the blond woman.

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(Morgana Le Fay's secret lair)

"I'm not liking where this is going." Carol Danvers said. "So far we've pulled an innocent boy from an alternate universe (_which I still think is wrong_), merged him with Captain America's corpse (_which I find extremely disrespectful_), watched him get seduced by that power stone wielding whore (_which was pretty hot actually_), fight it out with Ares (_which I have to admit was pretty impressive_), and now he's going to be part of Osborn's gang of Avengers!"

"Yes. All is going according to plan." Morgana said.

"HOW CAN THIS BE PART OF THE PLAN?" Carol shouted. "HE'S A FOURTEEN YEAR OLD BOY WHOM YOU'VE THROWN INTO THE LION'S DEN! HUNGRY LIONS I MIGHT ADD!"

"You are a warrior, yet you have no talent for scheming and strategy."

"Apparently, since I have no idea where this is going." she huffed. _Or how desperate I am to be letting this happen!_ She thought. "So when do _I_ get some action in this?" she asked.

"If all goes well... very soon."

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(Avengers Tower)

Shinji stared at the high-tech piece of red, white and blue armor that Osborn had created based off the Iron Man armor that Stark had created.

"You.... you want me to wear this?" Shinji asked as he stared at the armor.

"Yes. You will be known as The Iron Patriot. Leader of the Avengers." Osborn stated.

"But... I can't lead these people. I'm not a leader. I'm not a warrior." he protested.

"Says the man who went toe-to-toe with the god of war and lived to tell the tale." Ms Marvel said.

"But aside from that, why me of all people?" Shinji asked.

"What else could one expect from the son of Captain America." Osborn said.

"What? But I'm not his son." he said.

"As far as anyone need know... you will be."

Shinji looked unconvinced, which was what the master manipulator wanted.

"Listen son, as I'm sure you're aware... our world barely survived the Skrull Invasion. Mistrust, fear and weakness permeate our very society because of the actions of Tony Stark and his allies. Now, we need hope. We need victory. We need a hardcore team to stand up against the forces who would threaten everything we are trying to build and rebuild. And this team must be... symbolic in nature. Symbols of strength, hope and courage. Captain America and Iron Man were such symbols. But they, and I mean the originals, no longer exist. In their place we need a new champion, to stand up and take the reigns of leadership against any who would seek to destroy us and our way of life. It is obviously fate, Shinji, that you be this champion. You, who are Captain America reborn!" he said with grandiose flare. "What do you say, Shinji Ikari, son of Captain America?!!"

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(Two days later, outside the Avengers Tower)

Standing on a raised stage in front of the Avengers tower, the eight costumed heroes stood up tall and proud as hundreds of people anxiously awaited to see who their new defenders were.

"**Ladies And Gentlemen Watching Us All Over The World! As We Start Our Healing... As We Start To Understand How We As A Species Have Yet Again Triumphed Over Those Who Would Try To Take Away What Is Rightfully Ours... It Is My Honor To Introduce To You.... Your Protectors... Your Warriors... Your AVENGERS!!!**"

Standing in the middle of this new team of heroes was a red, white and blue armored figure. His red wrist gauntlets went from his hands to his elbows, his upper arms were blue with a white stripe running around the middle bicep. His chest shield was red with a five-point white star in the middle of his chest. His stomach and lower torso was blue with a red and white striped stomach plate that gave them the impression of a ripped six-pack. His legs were blue with white plating over the front of the upper thighs. His boots were red and went from his feet to his knees. His face-plate was white with glowing yellow eye and mouth slits, the rest of the helmet itself was painted red.

On the stage along with him stood seven other unique individuals.

At the far right of the stage was an athletic young man with grayish hair, dressed in a green and white bodysuit with gold lining, gold gauntlets and belt encrusted with red and blue jewels. Next to him was a powerful looking man with long blond hair, dressed in a yellow/goldish costume, long blue cape, boots and gloves, with an intricate gold 'S' on his blue belt. Next to him was a shapely blond-haired woman dressed in a red and dark blue costume with a gold sun/star symbol on her well-endowed chest.

Standing just behind and to the left of the armored figure was a body-builder type person dressed in a dark brown leather outfit, arms exposed, with a skull-symbol on his chest, an axe in one hand, a sword in the other, with a gold helmet that had a mohawk-type hairstyle. Next to him stood a tough looking man in a brown and dark yellowish costume with a pointed mask and strange tattoo on his exposed left arm. Just behind him and to the left stood another athletic man in a mostly blue and purple outfit with a sheath of arrows and bow on his back. And at the end of the stage stood another athletic man in a black costume with a white spider-symbol on his chest, a pair of white patches on his face to indicate his eyes.

"**I Give To You The All New Captain Marvel. Sentry. Ms Marvel. Ares. Wolverine. Hawkeye. The Amazing Spider Man**." he introduced each member of his team right before removing his helmet and speaking in a regular voice "I am The Iron Patriot, and I will lead these new Avengers into battle against anyone who would threaten our way of life. My name is Shinji Ikari, son of Captain America, and I'm ready to fight for you!"

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The press conference and introduction of the new Avengers had gone on well enough, but when Shinji had announced himself as the son of Captain America, there was natural upset and tons of questions.

However, Osborn had been prepared for that. He had his deputy director, Victoria Hand, create a new detailed history of Shinji Ikari as Captain America's son, and had her release it to the public news agencies the same day as the press conference.

According to the bio, when Captain America was alive back during World War II, before he got frozen, he was sent on a top secret mission to Japan where he rescued a young woman named Yui Ikari from a gang of ninjas. (This was not his mission, of course) While helping her to recover, and hiding out from the other ninjas who were looking for her, the pair grew close to the point where they actually made love to each other. However, the ninjas eventually found them and attacked, and during the battle, Yui was knocked over a waterfall and swept out to sea.

Cap feared that Yui was lost, and she would have been had it not been for her recovery thanks to Cap days ago. She swam back to shore and went into hiding. By the time Captain America was frozen in that block of ice, Yui was four months pregnant. However, she had contracted radiation sickness after passing through the decimated city of Hiroshima and was soon to die. She was saved by a scientist friend of her family's, who used an experimental cryogenics tube to halt her condition until a means to save her life could be found. About 30 years later a cure was found and Yui was brought out of her cryogenic state. The treatment worked, and Yui eventually gave birth to a healthy baby boy whom she named Shinji. When Captain America's identity had become public knowledge, Shinji tried to get a passport in order to come to America to meet his father. This was waylaid by the Superhero Registration Act and the Civil War that followed.

Shinji was naturally disheartened to learn that his father had been arrested and later killed on the steps of the courthouse by an unknown assassin. Despite this, he came to America anyway right as the Skrulls began their invasion of Earth.

Shinji had saved dozens of lives during the battle, only to get buried beneath a building and later saved by Norman Osborn, who discovered his unique origins. As a result of this, he asked Shinji to become the new leader of the Avengers, as his father had once been.

Of course, it was all a lie.

However, while truth is stranger than fiction, Osborn had convinced Shinji to go along with the lie in order to give the people hope. And Shinji, being the kind of person he was, agreed that giving people false hope was better than a bitter truth which could only drive a wedge between the already fragile alliances of mankind.

There were several inconsistencies in the story, most of which were difficult to prove, yet it was overlooked as the genetic profiles were released as well. Some experts, such as Reed Richards and Henry Pym, would later be able to verify that Shinji wasn't a clone of Captain America, and that his genetic coding was consistent with that of a child being born of two different people, and that one of those people was in fact Captain America.

However, as soon as the new team had been announced, a new crisis was brought to their attention.

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"What Do You Mean 'California Is Gone'?!!!" Shinji gasped as he and the rest of his team was assembled in the Avengers newly built War Room, all of them staring at a giant computer monitor that showed a digital map.

Specifically the West Coast state of California which looked like it had separated from the mainland.

"Not gone exactly. The reports are still coming in, but what we do know is that the western half of California, along the San Andreas Fault Line, has broken off and is slowly drifting away from the mainland." Victoria Hand explained.

"Sounds like something the Avengers should look in to." Osborn said.

"Well... unless everyone can fly, I hope you have a jet for us to use." Hawkeye said.

"Actually... we do." Osborn smiled and brought up the specs of a new, heavily modified Quinjet that Stark had been in the process of building prior to his expelment from SHIELD. Actually, it didn't even look like a Quinjet. It looked more like a high-tech XB-1000 Mach 6 stealth bomber.

However, Shinji wasn't looking at the new jet.

"Something wrong, Shinji-kun?" Ms Marvel asked her lover.

"California's fault line has always been unstable, but... we don't know if this was a natural occurence or if someone did this intentionally."

"Would it shock you if someone was responsible?" she asked.

"After all this? Not really, no." he replied.

Ms Marvel smiled as he said that.

"Alright, Avengers! This is what you've been assembled to deal with. Get out there and handle it!" Osborn said.

"Standing orders, sir?" Shinji asked as he placed his helmet over his head.

"Save any innocents you find, arrest any super villains who appear to be responsible or are causing trouble, and if at all possible.... put that landmass back in place." he said with a smirk.

The eight superheroes just stared at the man as if he was crazy. Of course many of those who knew him didn't even try to ponder that possibility.

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Authors Notes:

Hope everyone likes this story. I wrote this story months ago but nearly forgot about it. But I was a little shocked that I actually got the first chapter out like I did.

This story is basically something I did for fun. I don't know when I'll be able to update it. So, please enjoy what I have written.

Also, like the title says, this is being written to end Osborn's 'Dark Reign'. I have some special plans for the team, and for Shinji as well.


	2. Avengers Vs Offenders

**CHAPTER 2: AVENGERS VS OFFENDERS**

Disclaimer: I do not own Eva, The Avengers, or the Marvel universe characters.

Summary: The Avengers join the Lady Liberators and the X-Men against The Offenders in order to save the West Coast from destruction.

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(Los Angeles, California. Formerly of the United States)

"_What Do You Mean The Whole West Coast Is Gone?!!!" the tall, muscular, green-skinned woman known as She-Hulk shouted into her cellphone. _

_The group of female heroes just stared at their apparent leader and gasped at what she was saying. _

_Tigra, Invisible Woman, Spider Woman, and Thundra all just stared at She-Hulk as she was informed that the San Andreas Fault Line had collapsed. They were the only ones available as the other Liberators were on different assignments. _

"_Well. Did anyone make it out? No survivors? How is that possible? What do you mean..... oh god! You mean.... he did?" _

"_Who did what?" Tigra asked. _

"_It was Red Hulk! He....he actually blasted the West Coast apart! He's made his own island!" the emerald-skinned woman gasped. "And he wasn't alone! Apparently his Offenders Team was with him." _

"_Tiger-Shark. Baron Mordo. Terrax the Destroyer." Spider Woman hissed._

"_Should have let me kill him when I had the chance." Thundra snapped. _

"_You just might get your chance!" She-Hulk snapped. _

"_What?" _

"_Ladies, we're going to the newly formed island of California to arrest that pig!" _

"_Arrest?" Thundra gasped. "But you said..." _

"_I said you 'might' get your chance. And it's a better one than before." _

"_But what about the others?" Tigra asked. _

"_No time to wait. We have to go and go now!" _

Those were the last words that She-Hulk regretted saying, as she now found herself and her team of Lady Liberators bound and chained in what was once known as The Los Angeles Convention Center.

"It's so nice to see you again, green cheeks!" Red Hulk grinned as he stood over the bound and chained gammazon. "I was so looking forward to our reunion."

"Who we gonna start with, Rulk?" Tiger-Shark hissed as he stared at the bound and defeated squad of heroes. "This one..." he said, caressing the hair of the unconscious Invisible Woman. "..I think. Namor always had a thing for this one."

"No." Baron Mordo said. "I think this one..." he said, staring at Spider Woman. "...will be easier to break first. I sense a touch of darkness within her."

"Patience, gentlemen. One thing at a time." he grinned. "First... we need to break them."

"And by 'break' you mean..." Terrax said with a nasty grin.

"That's right, boys! It's time to satisfy those libidos!"

The trio of Offenders grinned as She-Hulk felt an overwhelming sense of dread well-up in her for the first time in her life.

These psychotic killers... all of them.... were going to rape her and her girls.

"No.... no.... no!" she whispered as she vainly struggled against her chains. But to no avail as these particular chains were seemingly forged from a metal as strong as adamantium.

"What about the others?" Tiger Shark asked.

"Let Hood and his gang have their fun. We have other matters to attend to." Rulk grinned.

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Amidst the ruins of what was left of San Francisco, stood the beautiful mutant Storm and her allies.

Colossus, the super strong steel-skinned mutant. Nightcrawler, the acrobatic, demon-like teleporter. Angel, the handsome winged flyer. And X-23, the female clone of Wolverine.

Cyclops and many of the others were dead, killed in the earthquake when the coastline separated. The separation had caused millions to die, and the survivors were lost, scared and confused.

It was odd, though, that Emma Frost-The White Queen-wasn't present when this happened. But it was a minor problem as they had more urgent matters to attend to.

Namely, the small army of super villains who were advancing towards them.

The Hood and his gang were advancing towards the last of the X-Men still standing.

Their ranks included Madame Masque, Scarecrow, Razorfist, Blood Brother, Bushwacker, Centurius, Vermin, Corrupter, The Wrecker, Piledriver, Bulldozer, Thunderball, Answer, Blackout, Wizard, Chemistro, Cutthroat, Brother Grimm, Living Laser, Deathwatch, Purple Man, Dr Demonicus, Griffin, Crossfire, and Jigsaw.

"So... what's it going to be, mutants? Fight and you die. Surrender and maybe you live." Hood said.

"As what? Slaves? I will not have it!" Storm declared.

"Then death it is!" The Hood declared as he and his men moved towards the group, surrounding them for a final strike.

The X-Men stood their ground, despite being outnumbered five-to-one at least.

If this was to be their last... then they were prepared to die fighting.

However, it would not happen as a jet rumbled through the skies and passed over them.

From out of the large, high-tech jet, four figures leapt out and dove towards the two groups.

Iron Patriot, along with Ms Marvel, Sentry and Captain Marvel, landed on the ground between the two teams.

"**Are We Late For The Party?**" Iron Patriot asked.

"What the..." Jigsaw gasped.

"The Avengers!" Madam Masque shouted.

"Or part of them." Wizard exclaimed.

"**Our Teammates Are Aiding She-Hulk And Her Team. We Came Here Because We Got A Report About You. Now... Did You Cause This?**" Iron Patriot asked.

"Cause this?" The Hood asked. "Cause what?"

"**The Separation Of The Landmasses. Did You Cause California To Separate From The Mainland?**"

"No. That was Rulk's doing. He thought it would be funny." Thunderball said.

"**Well I Don't! You And Your Band Of Thugs Are Under Arrest!**" Iron Patriot declared to Hood.

"With just the four of you?" Hood asked, just staring at the quartet.

"We can wait for you to call for back-up." Ms Marvel said.

"Cute." he snickered.

"So... shall we?" the blond heroine asked.

"Osborn's not paying you enough for this." Hood replied.

"**Maybe, But This Is What Heroes Do!**" Iron Patriot declared.

"Kill Them!" Hood shouted.

"**AVENGERS ASSEMBLE**!" Iron Patriot shouted, letting loose a powerful bolt of energy from the star on his chest that shot through the villains, knocking down Cutthroat, Purple Man, and Griffin in one shot. Rendering them unconscious.

Ms Marvel shot forward and punched Madam Masque in the face, knocking her into Scarecrow, and used her phasing powers to avoid Razorfist's blades, before back-handing him to the ground.

Sentry shot forward and tackled Bulldozer and Piledriver while Thunderball and Wrecker tried to hit him with their weapons. They missed and hit themselves.

Captain Marvel leapt into the air and kicked down Blood Brother, as Dr Demonicus and Deathwatch jumped on his back and Brother Grimm attacked his chest with his dagger.

Bushwacker was about to get into the fight, only to have Angel fly in, grab him by his jacket, and slam him into a nearby wall.

Centurius was knocked down by Colossus's steel fists.

Vermin was attacked by X-23, slicing him up like a piece of meat.

Storm blasted Corrupter and Chemistro with her lightning bolts.

Nightcrawler teleports through the group and kicks down both Blackout and Answer.

Iron Patriot blasted Wizard out of the sky as Hood tried to get away, only to have Nightcrawler come in via teleportation and punch him in the head. Iron Patriot spun around and blasted him with full repulsor beams, knocking him cold.

Colossus and Iron Patriot join forces to take out the Wrecking Crew alongside Sentry.

Jigsaw and Crossfire start shooting and Living Laser makes a play for Ms Marvel, only to have Captain Marvel blast the sentient energy being with one of his Kree weapons, rendering him out of action for now. X-23 leapt at Jigsaw and Crossfire, taking several bullets before she sliced them hard in their chests, bleeding to great excess.

Within seconds, the battle was over and the 26 villains were defeated.

"Wow. That was.... really cool!" a young boy who had been hiding nearby exclaimed.

"**You X-Men Fight Well. I'm Honored To Stand With You.**" Iron Patriot said, extending his hand to Storm.

The weather goddess looked at the armored soldier's hand, then to his face.

"I.... I cannot." she said, feeling like she had just insulted him after he had saved her life.

"**Why**?" he asked.

"Because I am not sure if I trust you." she replied.

Iron Patriot lowered his hand. "**I See. Because Of Who I Am? Or Who I Work For?**"

"Yes." she replied. "If you truly knew Norman Osborn, you would not serve him."

"**Perhaps I Don't Know Him As Well As Others. But I Know The Opportunity He Gave Me. To Give Hope To The World. I've Known Evil Men Before, And Even If Mr Osborn Is Evil Incarnate, I Will Do What I Have To Do. To Be The Hero The World Needs.**" he stated.

With that he turned around and faced his three teammates.

"**The Others Are Headed For Los Angeles. We Need To Get There And Back Them Up!**"

With that, Iron Patriot, Ms Marvel, Sentry and Captain Marvel took off into the air and headed towards the city.

"Ororo?" Colossus asked.

"Yes, Peter?" the dark-skinned weather-controller replied.

"He does not seem like a man who would serve Osborn." the tall Russian said.

"I have to agree, Ororo." Nightcrawler said. "He seems..."

"Noble. Naive. Take your pick." Angel said.

"I was going to say... kind of blind. Someone who could be easily manipulated by a man like Osborn."

"Someone... we could trust?" X-23 asked.

The group looked at each other for several seconds before making a decision.

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Sue Richards found herself being stripped of her blue and white costume by Tiger Shark's claws.

Spider Woman felt her costume start to melt off her body thanks to Baron Mordo's magic.

Thundra was slapped around again and again by the rock-hard fists of Terrax while he tried to strip her costume off.

And She-Hulk felt the large, strong left hand of Rulk wrap around her neck, even as his right hand started pulling her costume down.

However, their attempts came to an end, when a large high-tech jet plan roared overhead and four figures leapt out and plummeted towards them.

Ares led the attack, axe and sword in hand. Behind him fell a man in a brown and tan costume with sharp claws sticking out of his hands, a man in a purple and blue costume with a bow in his right hand, and a man in a black bodysuit with a white spider on his chest.

Ares slammed into Terrax, pushing him into the ground.

Hawkeye slammed into Baron Mordo, kicking him in the head to force him back.

Spider Man slammed into Tiger Shark, punching him away from Sue Richards.

Wolverine slammed into Rulk, claws slashing at his face.

The Battle Was On!

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Shinji's original plan was to head to San Francisco to enlist the X-Men's help in trying to put the two landmasses back together. However, while they were en route, they received two messages. One was that She-Hulk and her Lady Liberators had been captured, the other was that The Hood and his gang of 25 villains were attacking the X-Men in San Francisco.

As leader, Shinji quickly made a difficult choice.

He split up the team.

Ares, Wolverine, Hawkeye and Spider Man would continue on to Los Angeles and help She-Hulk and her team, while Sentry, Captain Marvel, Ms Marvel and himself went to help the X-Men against The Hood and his gang. Something inside him made him think that this was the right course to take.

He had chosen these three to accompany him because they were the flyers of the team. The plan was to leap out of the jet, fly down and fight the villains, and then catch up with Ares and the others because they could fly after them.

That battle done, Shinji and his team flew towards the L.A. Convention Center where the Liberators were being held hostage. With any luck his teammates would be able to either defeat the villains or, at the very least, delay them until he and his flying team could get there to back them up.

At the Center, the other Avengers were fighting a losing battle against the Offenders.

Ares was matching Terrax axe-strike for axe-strike. Hawkeye was leaping around, dodging Baron Mordo's energy bolts while firing off his arrows at the sorcerer, who blocked his attacks with a mystic barrier. Spider Man was dodging Tiger Shark's claws and throwing punches when he saw the opportunity.

Wolverine, however, despite his toughness, found himself quickly outmatched by the monstrous Red Hulk.

"This is getting boring!" Rulk groaned as he slammed Wolverine into the ground yet again. "I was expecting better, kid!"

"Did you expect this?" Wolverine growled as he stabbed at Rulk's hand, trying to get the monster to release him.

"I ain't like that brainless green baffoon." Rulk said, trying not to show painful expressions. "Your claws ain't that sharp, and I can actually form a plan! But you want to know the major difference between me and you, junior? I can think, and you don't have any of that adamantium stuff running through your body. That puts you at a severe disadvantage, pup!" he said as he slammed Wolverine into the ground again and again. "You jump around me, dodging my fists, which is actually a good idea, but when you got in close, I can actually get a hold of you. And that,"

SLAM!

"..is why.."

SLAM!

"..you will.."

SLAM!

"..die like..."

SLAM!

"..the dog..."

SLAM!

"...you are!"

BLAST!

The other combatants stopped fighting when a forceful energy blast caught Rulk in the back of the head, startling him and causing him to release Wolverine, who was battered and bleeding, his suit torn and ragged.

Though he would heal, a small part of him wished that he would die.

The Offenders had been on the verge of winning... when they heard an all-too common phrase that made the blood of every supervillain run cold.

"**AVENGERS ASSEMBLE**!" Iron Patriot shouted as he and the four Avengers flew through the skylight and quickly went to aid their teammates. "**Cap, Help Hawkeye Take Out Baron Mordo! Marvel, Free The Liberators! Sentry, You're With Me!**"

The team quickly leaped into action. Ares slammed his axe against Terrax's axe, starting to knock him back. Captain Marvel and Hawkeye were double-teaming Baron Mordo, firing energy blasts and arrows at the sinister sorcerer. Spider Man put his full strength into beating back Tiger Shark, knocking him through a wall in the convention center. Ms Marvel went over to the five bound and half-naked heroines and started breaking their chains.

While this was going on, Sentry and Iron Patriot tackled Rulk.

"What's going on?" She-Hulk asked as Ms Marvel freed the gammazon from her chains. "Carol?"

"Not exactly." Ms Marvel said.

Rulk was blind-sided as Sentry attacked him hard with a strike to the gut while Iron Patriot flew in and hit Rulk square in the face with his Repulsor blasts.

"Nice try. Seriously." Rulk said as he backhanded Sentry. "I'm going to enjoy recycling you."

"**Make Sure You Get Top Dollar For Me, Lobster Face**." Iron Patriot said, standing ready to fight the walking mountain of muscle.

Rulk moved in as several small slots popped open on IP's armor and fired directly at the Red Hulk's body, nailing him in a dozen different places, including his face.

"ARGH!"

"**Adamantium-Tipped Sedative Stingers. Hope They're Strong Enough**." Iron Patriot said as he leaped into the air and punched Rulk in the face, staggering him backwards.

Ares tackled Terrax back through a wall, Ms Marvel flew in and sucker punched Baron Mordo from behind as Captain Marvel was grappling with the sinister sorcerer, and Spider Man punched Tiger Shark backwards (after he had gotten out of the wall) as Hawkeye leaped over the underwater villain and fired off a barrage of arrows that pierced his flesh. He pulled out another arrow and fired it right into Tiger Shark's face, blasting him with strong knockout gas.

Wolverine, who had recovered enough to stand, popped out his claws and leapt onto Rulk's back, shoving his claws into the crimson beast's neck, causing him to growl out in mild pain. Sentry flew in and punched him hard in the side of his head as Iron Patriot continued firing off virtually every weapon he had into Rulk's face. Sentry kept punching, Wolverine kept stabbing, Iron Patriot kept blasting.

But Rulk still wasn't going down.

That was when the rest of the Avengers got into the fight.

Ms Marvel flew in and punched Rulk in the groin, Captain Marvel flew up to him and blasted him in the legs with his gauntlets, Spider Man leapt in and kicked Rulk in the face, Hawkeye leapt the opposite way and fired off an arrow filled with an explosive device, and Ares rushed forward with his axe and slashed Rulk in the back.

Across the way, the recovering Liberators were watching the fight.

"So those are the new Avengers, huh?" Spider Woman asked, glad that her red costume hadn't really been destroyed.

"Yes, and they are not doing too bad." Thundra said.

"And at least it's not Osborn leading them!" Invisible Woman stated, adjusting her blue suit.

"Is he really Captain America's son?" Tigra asked.

"Does it matter?" She-Hulk asked, putting her outfit back over her breasts.

"Actually, it does." a new voice said as a blond woman wearing a black swimsuit with a lightning bolt on her chest flew down toward them.

"Carol! You're here!" She-Hulk shouted.

"Sorry I'm late. Been busy." the former Ms Marvel said.

"Well, now what are you gonna do?" Invisible Woman asked.

"I'm going to help them!" Carol said as she flew towards them.

"I'm not gonna be beaten by a bunch of pathetic, whiny, costumed wannabe heroes!" Rulk groaned as he knocked the rest of the Avengers away before grabbing Iron Patriot and slammed him into the ground, repeatedly.

"**Sorry To Disappoint You!**" Iron Patriot said as he blasted Rulk's face with his chest repulsor, which caused him to release the star-spangled knight, who grabbed a large stone pillar and slammed it into Rulk's head.

Sentry flew in and continued punching like crazy as Wolverine slashed at his body hard, drawing more blood from his chest, arms, legs and back, even as they started to heal. Suddenly, a woman in black flew in and blasted Rulk hard in his back.

"What the... Carol?" Sentry gasped.

"Miss me, Bobby?" the blond heroine asked as she punched Rulk hard in the head.

"What are you doing here?" he asked as he punched Rulk again.

"I came to help out She-Hulk and the others, didn't know you guys were here." she lied.

Suddenly, Rulk grabbed both of them and slammed their heads together before tossing them into Wolverine.

"I'm Gonna Kill You All!" Rulk shouted.

"I do not think so, monster!" a new voice said as five figures dropped down into the Convention Center.

The voice belonged to Storm. The X-Men had arrived!

Storm blasted Rulk with a barrage of lightning, X-23 flew at him and slashed him several times before she was knocked away, and Colossus fell from the ceiling and slammed hard into the beast. Angel and Nightcrawler, being unable to do much in the way of help, stepped back and let their heavy hitters have at the crimson brute.

Just then, the formerly bound Lady Liberators filled Rulk's vision.

She-Hulk and Thundra punched Rulk hard in the face, Tigra slashed him with her claws, Spider Woman blasted Rulk in the face with her venom-blasts, even as Invisible Woman used her powers to trap Rulk's legs in place so that they could attack them.

All at once, the three teams flew in and hit Rulk with everything they had. Punches, energy blasts, kicks, hand weapons, claws, force fields, electricity, and anything else they could find.

However, the sedatives were starting to wear off, proven as Rulk's attacks got stronger, knocking the heroes away from him.

"**Time To End This!**" Iron Patriot said as he slammed his wrists together to activate one of his untested weapons that Osborn had installed in his armor.

Iron Patriot leaped up to the staggering brute as Rulk knocked Colossus and Thundra away, and cupped his hands over Rulk's ears, sending a massive pulse of paralysis sound waves into his head.

At full strength its effects would have shattered a normal person's ears and brain, so for someone like Rulk it only rendered them immobile but still conscious.

"**You'll Be Fine In A Few Minutes. But By Then, We'll Have Placed A Sonic Emitter Over You So As To Keep You Immobile.**" Iron Patriot said to the crimson behemoth who laid beneath him. "**As Of This Moment, You And Your Offenders, Are Under Arrest!**"

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"Impressive." Carol said as Rulk, Baron Mordo, Terrax and Tiger-Shark were bound, chained, and equipped with power dampeners.

"You know... you're still under arrest." Sentry said to her.

"**No**." Iron Patriot interrupted. "**She Helped Us Out With Rulk When She Could Have Easily Not. Besides, We're Going To Need Her Help Now**."

"Help with what?" Carol asked.

"**Putting California Back Together**." he said.

"You can't be serious!" Ms Marvel gasped.

"**I Am!**"

"So... do we have a plan for getting the West Coast of California back together?" Captain Marvel asked.

"**I Have A Plan... But We're Going To Need All The Help We Can Get.**" Iron Patriot as he took a look at the two Ms Marvel's. "**Can We Count On You, Ms Marvel**?" he asked the black-suited heroine.

"Actually, I think 'Warbird' would be better for me now. Someone else has been given that name." Carol said, looking at the other blond.

"Not gonna fight me for it?" Karla asked, figuring that she would.

"Normally I would, but if giving up my name gets me off the Wanted List..." Carol said.

"**Done**." Iron Patriot said.

Ms Marvel smiled as he said that, as if knowing what he was thinking. The eyes of the world were on them now. If they could pull off such an incredible feat, like putting California back together, then arresting Carol Danvers would make them all look really, really bad. It would go against Osborn's plan of making the Avengers the heroes the world needed.

Iron Patriot turned to talk to Storm. "**Ms Storm?**"

"Yes?" the weather-goddess replied.

"**You Have The Ability To Control Weather, Correct?**"

"I do."

"**It's Time To See Just How Powerful You Are.**"

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One hour later found the heroes using their combined talents to physically push the western half of California back into place.

Iron Patriot, Ms Marvel, Captain Marvel, Sentry and Warbird were using their powers to push on the gigantic landmass up near San Francisco, while Storm used her weather-manipulating powers to create a massive hurricane that was pushing on the area near San Diego.

However, as powerful as they were, even they wouldn't have been able to accomplish all this, were it not for Ares using Terrax's axe in order to manipulate the gigantic landmass back to where they wanted it to go. Terrax had used his axe once before in order to raise the island of Manhattan off the ground and into space. Now it was being used on an even larger landmass, along with the aid of several of Earth's most powerful heroes, in order to reconnect the newly made island back to where it had once been.

All the available news services were using helicopters to video tape the heroes using their powers to literally push the massive piece of real-estate back into position. Satellite surveillance was able to confirm this and showed it to the world.

Everyone, even Norman Osborn, was impressed.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH  
(Los Angeles Convention Center)

"It's gonna cost billions to repair the coastal cities. The clean-up alone will take years!" the mayor of San Francisco stated.

"Yes." Storm said. "But we will have a chance to repair the cities, as part of the United States of America."

"True." the mayor sighed.

"So... am I still under arrest?" Warbird asked Iron Patriot.

"**Actually, I've Spoken To Mr Osborn About That. Considering Your Assistance In This Matter, You Won't Be Arrested**." Iron Patriot replied.

"I hear a 'But' or an 'Unless' coming." she said.

"**Unless... You Serve On The Liberators**." he stated.

"As leader?" she asked.

"**It's Actually Co-Leader Status, Alongside She-Hulk**."

"Hmm. I don't know." Warbird mused.

"It would be better than prison, Carol." Sentry said.

"I still don't like this... working for Osborn. But... neither do I want to be a fugitive." she said with a hung head.

"**Then You Agree**." Iron Patriot said.

Her mouth hung open for a few seconds before answering. ".......I do. For now."

"Welcome to the Lady Liberators." She-Hulk said, clasping a hand on her friend's shoulder. "And it's about damn time too."

"Whatever, Jen." Warbird huffed.

She looked at her friend and, feigning ignorance, decided to set a little ground work.

"So... who is the new guy in the fancy tuxedo?" Warbird asked.

"Iron Patriot. Actually he says he's the son of Captain America." She-Hulk answered.

"What? You can't be serious! When did Steve have a kid?" she asked.

"Long story. But it was confirmed by Reed Richards and Henry Pym. Genetically, he's Cap's son."

"Tests can be faked, you know." Warbird stated.

"True. But...." She-Hulk shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm not sure how Osborn did that.... and I'm not sure I trust him all that much." Warbird said.

"Granted. But HE saved our bacon this round." Tigra said, pointing at Iron Patriot. "So for now... I'm giving HIM the benefit of the doubt."

"You're awfully trusting pretty fast." Invisible Woman said.

"I don't trust Osborn. But this guy.... I think we can trust." Tigra said.

"Fine. For now." Warbird said.

Just then, a group of armored military soldiers arrived.

"Sir! We're here to take the Red Hulk into custody." the lead armored trooper said.

"He's right over there, commander." She-Hulk stated.

However, as the ten armored soldiers surrounded the massive red-skinned monster, the paralysis chose right then to wear off.

"RAGH!" Rulk shouted as he exploded upwards and knocked the armored soldiers away.

Before anyone could react, Wolverine had leapt into the air at the beast, only to get grabbed by a pair of large red hands, and was suddenly ripped in two.

A blood-curdling scream alerted everyone who wasn't aware to the incident as Rulk tossed the two pieces of the mutant Avenger away and advanced towards the three teams.

Iron Patriot, aghast and horrified, unfroze first and quickly reacted before anyone else got the chance.

Before anyone fully realized what was happening, the red, white and blue armor pulled apart as an athletic young man with short brown hair in a black bodysuit bolted away from the suit and dashed towards the Red Hulk. He grabs Terrax's axe from Ares and rushed towards the crimson giant. Leaping into the air with all the strength his legs could muster, he gripped the axe tightly and swung with all his might.

Nobody noticed the yellow glow his eyes gave off as the axe connected with Rulk's neck, and kept going until it emerged out the other side.

Everyone in the entire area gasped in complete and total shock, as Shinji Ikari, the Iron Patriot and son of Captain America, had beheaded the Red Hulk with the axe of Terrax the Destroyer, former herald of Galactus.

While Rulk had been advancing towards the other members of the Avengers, Shinji had been behind him as he shed his armor and struck him at his back. He had the element of surprise, but they could still not understand what just happened.

"H-H-How... did you do that?" Warbird gasped, truly surprised.

"Why did you do that?" She-Hulk gasped.

Shinji looked at them before he answered.

"No one messes with my team and gets away with it!" Shinji said in a deep angry voice.

She-Hulk and the others, even Ares, Thundra, and X-23 took a step back, when they saw the look of pure anger and rage within his eyes.

Their attention was drawn away from Shinji, fortunately, by Sentry when he pulled the two halves of Wolverine's broken body together, his power to reincarnate others proving far superior than the mutant's own healing powers.

"Alright, he's fixed." Sentry replied.

"You... fixed him?" Captain Marvel gaped as Wolverine groaned and sat up.

"I have regeneration and resurrection powers." Sentry said.

"Really?" Spider Man asked.

"Yes."

"Well that's cool!" Tigra gasped.

"Yeah. Don't Let Him Anywhere Near Red Hulk!" She-Hulk said, just looking at the unmoving head of Rulk.

"What... happened?" Wolverine asked, holding his head as if he was dizzy.

"Sentry put you back together." Hawkeye stated.

"He did? Where's Red Hulk?" he growled.

"He's dead." Thundra said, pointing at the decapitated body, a small smile appearing on her lips as she stared at Shinji.

"How?" Wolverine asked.

"IP took his head off... with Ares's axe." Spider Man said.

"He... did?" Wolverine asked. _He did it... for me?_

"Actually it was Terrax's axe." Ms Marvel said.

Shinji didn't look at anyone as he handed Ares back the axe, and stepped back into his armor. He did it mostly to hide the look of shame on his face for what he had just done. No one had noticed his eyes were now filled with loss and sorrow.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH  
(Avengers Tower, New York City)

(..._heroic new team of Avengers defeated the deadly quartet known as the Offenders, after the defeat of the all-female team known as the Lady Liberators_....) A first monitor replayed.

(..._attributed their success in replacing California's coastline to the aid of mutant superhero team known as the infamous X-Men_...) A second monitor replayed.

(..._sources close to the incident state that it was the combined efforts of the new Avengers team, the all-female Lady Liberators, and the infamous mutant X-Men team, to defeat the deadly villains_...) A third monitor replayed.

"They did very well." Norman Osborn said aloud, after hitting the mute button to silence the televisions.

"So... we've got Ms Marvel on board, have we?" Victoria Hand asked, making a note in her palm pilot.

"No. She's calling herself Warbird, and for now she's on our side." Osborn replied.

"Do you think it will last?"

"No. But for now, we can keep an eye on her." he stated.

"I'm actually surprised about something." Victoria said.

"What?" Norman asked.

"You."

"Pardon?" he asked, looking at the woman.

"That could have been you in that Iron Patriot armor. I'm surprised you didn't go that route."

"Oh, I thought about it. But having the 'son of Captain America' lead these new Avengers, was just something I could not resist." he stated.

"But he's not as... hard-core as the rest of the team." she said.

"He took on Ares, didn't he?" he replied.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean he has the killer instinct that Ares, Wolverine, Hawkeye or even Spider Man has."

"Oh, really?" he grinned, hitting the mute button again to return volume to the televisions.

(..._responsible for the death of the infamous and incredibly powerful Red Hulk. The Avengers leader apparently used an axe wielded by Ares to decapitate the vicious brute in what some witnesses could only describe as possibly the single-most amazing and hardcore action that_...)

Victoria Hand looked stunned. "Perhaps I was mistaken." she said as Osborn muted the television again. "But... will this make him easier to control, or harder?"

"I'm not certain. I'll have to speak with Karla about that." Osborn said.

"Dr Sofen? As what? His keeper?"

"Keeper, lover, psychiatrist. She would know better than anyone else."

"Still, he has done some amazing work. Fought Ares. Fought The Hood and his gang. Fought the Red Hulk, and killed him. Put the California Coastline back together. Recruited Ms Marvel, now Warbird, after she ran out on you..."

"I'm still not convinced we can trust her." Osborn said.

"...and probably gained the respect of his entire team with that little act." Victoria said. _Fear. Respect. They often go hand-in-hand._ she thought. _This could be very interesting_.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH  
(Avengers Tower, hours later)

Shinji was standing under the shower trying to wash away the horrible memory of killing someone. Even if the monster had ripped his teammate in half, and his other teammate had 'put him back together', Shinji had never before taken a life. Any life. Or at least a life that was vaguely human.

He was so distracted that he didn't notice a pair of strong arms wrap around his chest and a large pair of breasts press against his back.

"Shinji? Shinji-kun? Talk to me, sweetie." Karla said, whispering to him as she rubbed her hands across his chest. "You haven't said anything since you killed..."

"Don't." he said in a sad tone.

"What?" she asked.

"I... I don't.... I mean I.... I've never...." he stammered.

"You've never killed anyone before, have you?" she asked. More like stated.

"No. I..... that, Red Hulk, was my first." he replied.

Karla hugged him tightly. She had momentarily forgotten that underneath his athletic adult body was a teenager who had none of the experiences that Captain America had, which included the events of World War II.

She released her arms from his body and moved around him, lifting his face so that his eyes meet her own. His eyes were red and puffy from crying, his expression like that of a lost and scared kid. She caressed his cheeks before cupping his face with her hands and planted a soft kiss on his lips.

"I understand." she said softly to him, her mouth right next to his ear. "What do you need, Shinji? Tell me what you need." she said to him as she softly kissed his lips and cheek.

Shinji pressed his forehead against hers as he wrapped his arms around her shapely body.

"I.... I don't want to be alone right now." he whispered back to her.

Karla nodded her head as she turned the shower off and led Shinji back to her bedroom. Still naked and wet Karla helped the young super soldier into bed and spooned up against him, holding him tightly, her face buried in the crook of his neck. She pulled the sheets over them and just held her young lover as he held her in return.

Karla held him tightly as his body fell into sleep, tears falling from his eyes as his dreams replayed the events of the day to him. She kissed his cheek softly, her concern for this young man greater than anyone else she had ever met.

While she had never had a 'serious' relationship like the one she was in now, she realized why that was. Shinji was many different kinds of men.

He was strong. He was smart. He was sensitive. He was grief-stricken. He was frightened. He was courageous. He was invincible. He was vulnerable. He was loyal. He was selfless. He was tortured. He was young. He was old.

Shinji was many things, Karla realized, but most of all: he was her man! And because of that, she would protect him against any threat and pain in order to keep him from leaving her.

Selfish, yes, but Karla Sofen was not one to give up without a fight.

In Shinji she had found someone who would give her the life she never thought she wanted. And whether or not it was as heroes, she would not give him up for any amount of money or power.

_You are mine, Shinji Ikari._ She thought as she held him tightly. _And I will do anything to keep you with me. My lover..... my leader._

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Authors Notes:

Here is my second chapter, and it's.... rather obscure and hastily written. Some parts of it need to be rewritten, and other parts need to be forgotten. But I thought that wasn't bad, considering I've got a cold and can't sleep.

I will most likely re-edit this story, but for now this is what I've got.

Also, just so everyone knows, Shinji's ability to kill Red Hulk without his armor is a combination of things. The cosmic axe wielded by Terrax, Shinji's super soldier athleticism, and his dormant Angelic nature. Basically, Shinji's Angelic nature caused him to surround the axe with enough power to enhance its cosmic nature, and Shinji's new physical prowess enabled him to slice through Rulk with little difficulty.

Also, in the future, I will be changing up the Dark Avengers line-up. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I was thinking of using Songbird, maybe X-23, Deadpool, or even Thunderstrike. (It's possible, right?)

Anyway, leave me reviews to tell me what you would also like to see as well.


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